THE ENEMIES OF ALFALFA 215 



on to another place, leaving the hole open. No digging 

 with a spade or other hard labor is necessary. An 

 experienced person can distribute poison to many acres 

 of alfalfa in a day; and if proper care is taken to rightly 

 distribute the bait, it will not be necessary to go over the 

 ground a second time. Some experience is required to 

 find the burrows quickly. It is best to insert the food as 

 near as possible to the freshest mounds of earth. Two 

 or three pieces of potato at that place are worth many 

 scattered in other parts of the runway. The operator 

 should avoid the larger mounds and those that are not 

 freshly made. 



For destroying prairie dogs, Professor Lantz says that 

 out of thousands of suggestions nothing has been found 

 more effective than strychnine poison and carbon bisul- 

 phide. Following are directions for preparing and using 

 the strychnine : 



"Dissolve one and a half ounces of strychnia sulphate 

 in a quart of hot water. Add a quart of syrup — ^molasses, 

 sorghum, or thick sugar and water — and a teaspoonfu! 

 of oil of anise. Thoroughly heat and mix the liquid. 

 While hot pour it over a bushel of clean wheat and mix 

 completely. Then stir in two or more pounds of fine 

 corn meal The quantity of com meal needed will 

 depend upon the amount of extra moisture present. 

 There should be enough to wet every grain of the wheat 

 and no more. Care should be taken that there is n> 

 leakage from the vessel in which the wheat is mixed. 

 Let the poisoned grain stand over night, and distribute 

 it in the early morning of a bright day. Use a table- 

 spoonful of the wheat to each hole occupied by prairie 



